Page 39 of Hollow Court

Gwyn furrowed her brow but didn’t interrupt.

“Then,” I went on, the words coming out of me in a rush. “I caught wind of the fact that she was leaving without so much as saying goodbye. So I sought her out in time to hear a frigid sentiment about how she had used me for a good time, and we always knew it was going to end this way.”

That was more information than I had strictly planned on giving.

Now that the words were out in the universe, I couldn’t help but examine them. Galina wasn’t much of a live-in-the-moment type of person, but she wouldn’t have been the only Socairan lady who approached me out of an unwillingness to lose their maidenhead in front of six dukes, as was still the custom for witnessed consummation there.

To her everlasting credit, Gwyn did not remark on the irony of me getting used. She only asked, “Well, did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Always know it was going to end that way?” she clarified.

Had I? I should have, certainly. Even if I had been trying to find a way to tell her the truth. To see if it changed anything.

Then that morning happened, and everything went to hell. In hindsight, her behavior made even less sense, but I couldn’t afford to dwell on that right now.

“Yes,” I finally said. “I suppose I did.”

Even after all this time, the words tasted like a lie.

The First Dance

DAVIN

A Year and a Half Ago

Music floated up through the open rooftop door and the windows of the floor below, remnants of the ball Galina had left behind.

She was quieter than usual tonight, examining the stars like every single one was keeping a secret she was determined to discover.

Or perhaps I was projecting, knowing the secrets I was keeping. It was getting harder to lie by the day, but I couldn’t tell her who I was.

It would risk Rowan’s life if the information got in the wrong hands. And even if it didn’t, I wasn’t ready to consider all the implications of what that truth could mean.

Though, all of this was coming to an end soon, one way or another.

Galina would be distracted by finding a new husband, and I… I might finally be going home. Or I would be just as soon as my family could dig their way through the rest of the rubble from the cave-in.

After months of carefully obtaining information and rooting out spies had finally come to fruition, I’d been able to secretly get word back-and-forth to my uncle, and I knew they were doing everything they could to bring Row and me home.

Which was what I wanted, obviously.

“What is it?” Lina’s low voice startled me from my thoughts.

I hadn’t realized she had switched from deciphering the stars to deciphering me.

“It’s nothing,” I lied automatically.

She gave a small delicate sound of disbelief, arching a dark-blonde eyebrow in question.

I sighed, twisting to lean against the balcony, meeting her crystalline gaze.

“I’m worried about Row,” I said, wanting to at least give her something true.

“Row?” she echoed, and I cursed myself for being distracted.

Bollocks.